The horse has had a major place in society as a domestic pleasure animal for many years. However, one of the most difficult aspects in dealing with a horse is maintaining "control" over the horse, so that the horse remains responsive and manageable to trainer commands and instructions. While there are a variety of training methods and apparatus known throughout the world for training a horse, current methods and apparatus suffer several drawbacks. Most apparatus for controlling horses utilize restraints or harnesses of some type which engage the head or mouth, or both. With such apparatus, the trainer must physically overpower an uncooperative animal. Many times the rider will utilize other accessories items in such training. For example, a bit in the horse's mouth is frequently utilized to control the animal. A riding crop or whip may also be utilized in maintaining the attention of the horse during a training method.
The small or young rider is not always capable of utilizing the physical force necessary to train a horse utilizing conventional methods and apparatus for controlling a horse. In addition, a bit, and other various accessories utilized to control a horse can cause pain to the animal.